fate's a funny thing
by racketeering
Summary: seven minutes in heaven with the flirty boy dressed as a cat. not to mention the mere fact that she'd met him less than an hour ago. brilliant, really. she couldn't imagine a more interesting way to spend her night. cinderella-ish au. ladynoir&company.
1. party games

**summary: seven minutes in heaven with the flirty boy dressed as a cat. Not to mention the mere fact that she'd met him less than an hour ago. brilliant, really. she couldn't imagine a more interesting way to spend her night.**

 **this is an au where ive aged adrien &marinette up a bit, both are 18 years old. (idk it just makes me uncomfortable sometimes to write 15 year olds? its just me i guess anyways) also in this au ****_ladybug & chat noir are nonexistent, _****just a fun little au for me to mess around with tropes and character personalities, i guess!**

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"You're a cat."

Adrien stretched his arms with pride. "Got _that_ right."

"You try _way_ too hard." Nino commented absently, surveying his own half-assed costume, a simple t-shirt with the super man insignia and red pants. He hadn't even bothered with any excess details, he was only going to the party because Adrien didn't want to go alone.

Adrien had always been a dork for that sort of thing, maybe it was his model-complex outshining his shy personality, or maybe it was just how he enjoyed getting a break from being ever-famous ever-attractive Adrien Agreste and letting himself pretend he was someone normal and reserved. Which he was, but of course, the modeling agency didn't have any sort of attachment to that personality and liked the perfect poster boy much better than who Adrien really was. The weird guy who liked stupid jokes, sleeping in, and heights.

Nino blinked. Since when did he know so many pointless facts about Adrien? He technically _was_ his best friend, he supposed, but it wasn't like Adrien was a wide open book spilling his secrets left and right.

"Maybe _you_ don't try _enough_." Adrien corrected. He really went all-out on the costume, all black and sleek and actually kind of cat-like. There was even a green finish over his eyes on his mask, giving them a glow-like effect that looked scarily feline.

Nino shook his head, not dignifying him with a direct answer. "Thirty bucks says Chloé finds you within ten minutes of the party."

Adrien's smug, happy grin faded almost instantly, like someone had turned on a windshield wiper over his mouth. " _No._ "

Nino grinned. "Is _that_ why you put so much effort into the costume? To hide from stalker supreme?"

Adrien sighed heavily, an untold burden lying on his chest. "She's just so… _intense_ , man…I need a break."

"I'll bet you do. Say, instead of that former bet, how 'bout we make a new one? I'll introduce you to a girl tonight that will change _everything_. Maybe Chloé'll back off once she finds out you're taken…?"

Adrien scoffed, but still smiled slowly, like he appreciated his efforts. "I seriously doubt anything could make Chloé back off at this point. But I'll take you on, I could use a fresh start."

Nino gaped. "…Seriously? Dude…you're usually so… _I don't know,_ shy about this kind of stuff? But you…you're really-"

"Hit me with your best shot." Adrien thumped his fists on his chest. "Tonight, I'm not Adrien. I'm…I dunno, I'll think of a cool code name later."

"Hm…" Nino mused, watching his best friend strike horrifically embarrassing poses in the mirror. "What about…Chat Noir?"

Adrien looked at him, a knowing glint in his sharp green eyes.

"Nino." He said, firm and clear. "That has _got_ to be the _worst_ idea I've ever heard from you, ever. Have a little originality, man. I'm disappointed."

Nino laughed. "Sorry, sorry. We both know I'm dry when it comes to creativity.

Adrien scanned Nino's costume, one eyebrow snidely raised. "Is that so?"

Nino rolled his eyes. "Hurry up and stop looking at yourself, if we're late, we'll miss out on all the good food."

"Good point." Adrien checked himself one last time in the mirror. He really did look great. "This party is gonna be _purr-fect._ Get it Nino? Because-"

Adrien narrowly dodged the book Nino threw at his head.

"Alright, alright. I'll save that one for the _ladies_ -"

"Please don't."

"How 'bout this one – How are you fe _line_ today? Get it? Nino, come on, these are the jokes-"

"You know what? I change my mind. I'm not introducing you to any girls unless they enjoy pain and suffering." Nino hissed in resentment.

"Well then I guess I'll have to meet them on my _own._ " Adrien sassed.

"I pity the girl that has to deal with you."

"I pity people without a decent sense of humor."

"Shuddap. Let's just go already before I punch you." Nino ushered a distracted Adrien towards the door to the car. Right. All he had to do was try and find a girl who could deal with Adrien's disgustingly puke-worthy sense of humor and he'd be set.

Nino grimaced. This was going to be a lot harder than it looked.

.

.

.

"You're a…well…what are you again?"

Marinette pouted. " _Alyaaa,_ I'm a _ladybug_ , come on, it's not that hard!"

Alya nodded slowly, like she hadn't even heard her speak. "…Right. Yeah, right, I see it now."

Marinette made an exasperated sound and fell back on the couch. "I shouldn't even go. What if Adrien is there?"

"He probably will be."

" _Alya_ , you're not helping!" Marinette told her stiffly, waving her hands in front of her face manically and sighing.

"Here's a fun idea – off the top of my head, why don't you…hmm…I don't know… _talk_ to him, maybe?" Alya suggested sarcastically.

"I can't do that!" Marinette replied, horrified. "If I talk to him, I just _know_ I'll say something stupid, and I'll be forgettable and he won't _care_ and then I'l be _crushed_ -"

"Girl, calm yourself." Alya placed a finger to Marinette's lips to silence her. "Just relax. You're dressed up tonight anyways! He won't know it's you!"

"He won't know it's me anyways! I've never said a single word to him in the three years we've been in the same school-"

"That's _beside_ the point. He'll be dressed up too, maybe you won't even recognize him!" Alya assured her friend, grabbing her car keys and swinging outside of the Dupain-Cheng household.

"That's even _more_ terrifying! Then I won't even _know_ if I make a fool out of myself in front of him!" Marinette began to hyperventilate as Alya stared at her overdramatic friend, a cool, calculating expression laying over her face.

"Listen. Just…breathe. You'll be fine, besides…" Alya flicked Marinette jus above her nose. "you've got a mask on, right? Work it, girl. Plus, I won't lie, that costume makes your legs look out of this world."

Marinette's eyes widened. "Wha…really? You think so?"

Alya nodded in approval. "Hell yeah! Now get in the car and get ready to smoke this show. Ladybug and Alya are on the scene!"

"Ew. Don't call me that."

"…Fine. Alya and her party-pooper friend, are on the scene!"

"…You know what? I don't even care."

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.

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"The party's poppin'. Now where's this _girl_ you were gonna introduce me to, Nin? This is taking so long I think one of my nine lives has begun to run out…"

Nino's lips tightened and he turned to face his best friend.

"Dude…please. If I'm introducing you to anyone…this has gotta stop." He breathed out. Adrien only gave him the cheekiest grin possible.

"This is who I am now, Nino. You can't stop me. I'll enchant the world with my cat jokes – _just you wait_ -"

"Oh no." Nino said, suddenly grabbing Adrien's arm and pulling it to his chest. "Chloé at 9 o'clock."

"Your 9 o'clock? Or mine-"

"Just shut up and hide! Do you want this whole night to be ruined?" Nino whispered to him loudly.

"Fine, fine. Try to keep the cat in the bag-"

"You know what?" Nino said, tightening his grip on Adrien's arm. "Screw you. Have fun playing cat-and-mouse with Chloé all night." With that word of finality, Nino practically tossed Adrien in Chloé's direction, fed up with his (arguably) awful jokes.

"Shit! Nino! Don't do this to me! I thought we were friends!" Adrien whisper-yelled from across the room, his words falling silent to the ears of Nino, considering they were at a loud, busy party at the time being.

Someone bumped into Adrien as he was sprawling about, almost sending him careening into the wall like a blind bunny.

" _Watch_ it," a familiar voice seethed and Adrien could only look up sheepishly.

"Uh…hi, Chloé." He gulped. So much for having a Chloé-free night.

She looked at him, eyes caked with shiny peach makeup and narrowed with a sense of scrutiny. Bunny ears were perched on top of her hair, which smelt like potent candy canes. Adrien half-smiled and awaited death.

"Do I _know_ you?" She asked him dangerously, somewhere along the lines of how-dare-you-speak-to-me-peasant and hey-you-look-kind-of-familiar.

Adrien gulped. Could this be the break he had so desired? Had the gods truly smiled upon him this fondly on this Halloween night?

"Um…no. You _don't_ know me." He told her thickly, practically spewing happiness. Her lips curled unpleasantly.

"Then _get out of my way_."

"You got it!" he shot her a few finger guns and began to back away, hysterically panting in surprise.

She didn't recognize him. Which meant _nobody_ would – except Nino, of course.

Adrien smiled wider than he'd ever remembered.

This was just going to be a really, really awesome night.

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.

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"Oh my god, Alya, there's so many people…" Marinette swallowed her fear and clutched Alya's arm, who was dressed as an alien, finished up with a headband with two bounding antenna on top. It was cute, and it suited her quirky best friend well. Plus, it made her easy to spot within a crowd.

"Marinette, you're cutting off my circulation. Just relax, no one here is going to hurt-"

"Someone just touched my butt!"

Alya blinked. "Ok…scratch that. Just, steer clear of people who smell like pot and stay close to me, kay?"

"Ok…" Marinette said shakily. She hadn't been to many parties in her high school career, at least, not like this one. The parties she had were study parties, between select friends and on Thursday nights before tests. This was a whole different level of partying. Everyone smelt like fruit punch and looked like they didn't have a care in the world, the music was almost unbearably loud, and the lights were so dim she could barely even see the details of her costume (which was a bit disappointing, she had put a lot of effort into making it genuinely beautiful _and_ comfortable).

"Hey, I think I see a friend. Could you wait here for a sec while I go talk to him? I promise I'll only be a minute. Thanks!" Alya told Marinette all in a few seconds before heading off in a different direction. Before she could voice and protests, she was gone, and Marinette was alone by what looked like a bookcase. Or it could just be a wall. She couldn't really be sure with all the crazy lighting (or…lack thereof).

"-Where in the _world_ is Adrien? He said he'd _be here_! If he doesn't show up, I'm going to be _so mad…_ "

Marinette's face fell. She'd recognize that shrieking banshee voice anywhere.

Chloé was dressed as a bunny, the effort she put into realistic-ness was slim. The only real costume element of her costume was the pair of fuzzy ears, after that she mostly looked like she could put on a good show in a burlesque house.

Marinette looked down at her own outfit and suddenly felt a bit childish. Only Alya's compliment about her legs made her feel a bit better.

Chloé drew closer along with her friend Sabrina, still moaning on and on about Adrien's absence, which took a small burden off of Marinette's shoulders. Good. She wouldn't have to worry about making a scene in front of him.

"I can't _believe_ this, I worked _so hard_ to look hot for him today, and what do I get in return? Honestly, that boy is so dense I doubt even a knife could fully dissect him."

Marinette began to fume a bit. Chloé was so full of herself, if she even took a _second_ to factor in Adrien's feelings, maybe she wouldn't be insulting him so freely like she owned him.

"He's _obviously_ dense if he hasn't asked you out yet." Chloé's friend assured her robotically.

" _Duh_ ," Chloé cried out, almost furiously. "If he doesn't get his head out of the clouds soon, I might be forced to go to _drastic measures_ to get him to ask me out."

Angry at Chloé's vanity, and at herself for not being more assertive in general, Marinette did something she'd never done before. Maybe it was the costume, or the secondhand pot affecting her confidence level, or the lighting, or _whatever_.

She spoke up.

"Maybe if you weren't always climbing on top of him, he'd like you more!" Marinette shouted, just loud enough for Chloé to know that it was most definitely directed at her.

Chloé turned, murderous intent evident as she flicked her nails one by one.

" _What_ , did you just say to me, little girl?" She responded, frozen with anger as the party seemed to halt all around them.

"You heard me." Marinette stood her ground, feeling light headed and not at all like herself. Yet, there was something empowering about finally speaking her mind that pushed her to continue.

Chloé scoffed. "And what – like _you_ could do any better? Who even are you, some irrelevant hag from nowheresville? Please. Adrien and I will be together by the end of this week, and you will still be as irrelevant and nameless as always."

Marinette blanched, but didn't back down. "Oh yeah? Why don't you just back off, Chloé? It's _obvious_ Adrien doesn't like you at all, you're just so desperate, and he's too _sweet_ to tell you to _fuck off!_ "

A small chorus of 'oohs' rippled through the small crowd of attention they had gathered. Chloé practically lost her jaw on the spot.

"You – you don't even _know_ who you're messing with, you little twerp." Chloé gritted her teeth and took a few steps forward towards Marinette.

"You don't know who _you're_ messing with. So take some advice and back away from Adrien, before he finally does tell you off. If I were you, I'd take my attention elsewhere. Like, maybe, a decent costume store? Where'd you buy yours, the adult superstore?" Marinette said all in one breath, feeling adrenaline coursing through her like venom. God, it felt _great_ to finally tell off Chloé, Adrian had dealt with her crap all his life, it was about time for her to back off and find a new hobby.

Chloé wrenched her jaw into a sneer. "Why, you-"

"Don't make this any harder for yourself, honey. Just walk away while you still have a little bit of dignity." Marinette told her with a sass-laced smile. She really hoped Alya was in the crowd, she'd be so proud.

Finally deciding to take her advice, Chloé reared around and stormed away, heels clicking like hammers against a nail as she retreated from the battlefield.

All of a sudden, Marinette was surrounded by a lot of yelling kids, all congratulating her on practically ripping Chloé a new one in a minute flat. Alya was one of them, grabbing her wrist and jumping up and down eagerly.

"Oh my _god,_ was that even _you_? Holy _shit,_ that was amazing!" Alya told her, alien antenna bouncing as she spoke.

"I…think so..." Marinette admitted, a blush creeping into her cheeks. She hadn't felt this alive in a while.

"Greaaat! Listen, I just saw Alix and I'm gonna go grab her quick so I can fill her in on what just happened. _God,_ you're amazing!" Alya threw her a thumbs up and quickly went to go chase down their friend to tell her the news.

Marinette felt flushed, like she'd just won a million-dollar prize and got to travel the world spending it. She'd never been that brave, especially not to Chloé. Her eyes drifted down to the fabric of her costume. Maybe being a ladybug really did boost her confidence, as weird as that sounded.

Her eyes attempted to find someone she knew, maybe flaunt her newfound assertiveness to them proudly. She was still Marinette, after all. Just…different. In the best way.

She only wished, slightly, in the heat of them moment, that Adrien could've seen her. Maybe that could've sparked a conversation, a phone number, a date, a _relationship…_ Ok, so she got a little ahead of herself. But could you really blame her? The guy was gorgeous, and sweet, and funny, and kind, and _perfect_ …and so, _so_ out of her league it wasn't even funny.

Just when she thought things couldn't get any more unnatural, the last person she would've expected to approach her walked up to her nervously. It was Sabrina, Chloé's right-hand girl. Odd. Marinette made the quick decision to put herself on guard, this could mean trouble.

"Hey…um, so I know you and Chloé just kind of…fought, but…we're playing a party game in the next room, and some people were asking for you…?" She awkwardly trailed off. The girl seemed nice enough, and Marinette had always felt kind of bad for her, especially since Chloé treated her so terribly.

"Um…other people were asking for me?" She asked, suddenly interested that other people were interested in her. Marinette wasn't exactly a beacon of popularity, but she supposed the same couldn't be said about ladybug-Marinette…?

"Um…yeah! They're calling you ladybug-girl and they want you to join us…so…want to come?" Sabrina asked quietly.

Marinette thought for a moment. It had only been a few minutes since she served Chloé a new ass, and yet she felt inclined to trust Sabrina since she seemed so sweet and timid.

"I…" she looked back towards where Alya disappeared off to. She wouldn't mind…right? "…Guess so."

Sabrina smiled. "Great! Follow me…"

Suddenly uneasy, Marinette followed Sabrina into the next room.

Hopefully it wouldn't turn out _that_ bad for her…right?

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.

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"-and so I said to her, _yeah_ , I'm kind of known for my _pawsome personality_."

The girl Adrien had been talking to backed away ever so slowly, slightly terrified that he had managed to say that joke with a straight face.

Nino grimaced.

"I can't believe you've been at this all night. Do you _seriously_ take pleasure in getting your ass rejected by girls?" Nino asked him, disgusted with his off-putting behavior.

"This is _amazing_! For once, girls aren't falling all over me juts because I'm a _model!_ They _hate_ me!"

"Wow. Simply mind-blowing." Nino deadpanned. Adrien laughed, absorbing the party's atmosphere greedily.

" _God._ I love this. This is so much fun – we're doing this next year." Adrien bubbled, as hyperactive as a kid on pixie-stix.

"Uh…whatever." Nino mumbled, before his eyes widened. "I gotta go talk to uh…a friend, I'll see ya later…"

Adrien shrugged. He'd have more time to mess around on his own, he supposed.

Being someone else, or rather, being himself without consequences, was a lot of fun for him. All his life he'd had to restrain himself, socially, physically, and verbally, for the sake of his modeling career, and for the future of his father's company. Letting loose like this, even if it was just for a night of insufferable puns and looks of utter disgust upon people's faces, was well deserved for him.

After making a few more trips around the house to showcase some of his best jokes and laugh along with people he didn't even know, he heard somewhat of a commotion coming from the center, and made his way towards it casually.

There was a swarm of people, too many for him to see what was going on. It was probably just some kid doing one too many shots and doing his best to embarrass himself, like any 18 year old would if the opportunity presented itself.

Too lazy to attempt to get a better view, Adrien decided to interrogate someone just when the crowd began to disperse.

"Uh…what just happened?" He asked a girl dressed as a nurse. She gave him a skeptical look before plopping her hand on her hip and answering him.

"Some girl dressed as a ladybug dragged Chloé Bourgeois through the mud." She summed up, before turning away and hopping over to the punch stand.

"A ladybug, huh." He spoke long after she had disappeared. "Interesting."

Dragging Chloé was something he certainly wished he hadn't missed. It only happened once every…well…scratch that, it _never_ happened. She was so untouchable fifty miles up on her high horse that no one had ever managed to truly knock her down. So it was certainly a feat that a girl dressed as an insect managed to come close to knocking her down.

Adrien pushed past a few more people and happened across an extremely dark room. His eyes narrowed in suspicion. Dark rooms never really held much of interest, especially during parties like these.

"Hey," some guy called to him from inside the room, he could barely make out the silhouette of a person in the darkness, but they were definitely there, seeing as how they had spoken to him. "Aren't you the weird guy who hit on Chloé?"

"Um…I think you've got the wrong-"

"Eh, close enough. Wanna play a party game with us?" The guy asked, his body still cloaked with the shadows of the mysteriously dark room. Adrien raised a skeptical brow. It was an odd proposition, especially under the current circumstances. But then again…how could a party game hurt him? He was a cat, after all, _not_ Adrien…

"Yeah…I guess so…"

Without warning, the guy, whose face was still obscured, leaned forward and grasped his hand, pulling him into the shadowy room and into the party game of a lifetime.

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.

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Marinette had only played party games twice in her life. Once, at a birthday party, she was six years old and made an unfortunate mess of a piñata in her front lawn. The second time was a bit more unconventional, she simply played truth or dare with a group of her close friends, and consequently chickened out of her dare (go ahead and guess what the dare was. Hint, it had everything to do with her extended crush on a local model).

It was safe to say that she was somewhat of a _true_ party game virgin. Sitting in a dark room full of costumed strangers at a party? She'd surely be knocking a few pegs off of her bucket list tonight.

"Sit down," Sabrina instructed her kindly. There were a few sweet-smelling candles in the room, each lighting their own separate corner and drizzling the area with a low-tinted orange glow. Marinette did as she was told and sat down, in between two people she didn't recognize.

Then, it hit her, like a million bricks toppling one by one off of a decrepit wall.

She didn't belong here. And this was most _definitely_ a terrible, just… _really_ awful idea.

"Um…" she spoke aloud, hoping to catch the attention of perhaps someone with excellent night vision. "I think I have to leave-"

"Nonsense!" She heard a sickeningly sweet voice coo from across the room. "You have to stay, it'll be no fun without you!"

And, if that wasn't the final nail in her coffin, the fact that that same sickeningly sweet voice belonged to Chloé, the girl she had roasted not even a full ten minutes ago surely did the trick.

"But, I-"

"Is everyone here?" Chloé called in a commanding voice before swishing her hand out in front of a candle, barely visible. "Sabrina, shut the door. This game could take a while…"

The final crack of reddish light from the party was snuffed out by the sound of the door clicking shut. No turning back now. It appeared her only safe way out was winning the party game. And Marinette could safely bet that the odds weren't exactly going to be stacked in her favor.

"Now. We are going to play a nice, fun game." Chloé began menacingly. Marinette could hear the sound of her heels clicking against the hardwood floor and sucked in a breath when the sounds became unbearably close.

Something made a clinking sound and suddenly a candle was placed in the center of the room, revealing the dimly lit circle of costumed kids whom she couldn't recognize – not very clearly, at least.

Chloé took a step towards the center and was illuminated by the candle, flaunting her perfect skin like a glowing lantern in the night sky. She leaned over, careful to give everyone a view of her lovely long legs, before placing a medium sized brown bottle in the center of the room.

Marinette may have been a newbie to party games – but she'd seen enough Disney movies to know that this wasn't going to end well.

"I hope you're all ready to have a little fun….you know, let loose a little bit…" Chloé taunted, as if she had a dirty secret on each and every single person in the room.

"…Now who wants to go first?" Chloé swung around and there was a collective murmuring, the accusatory manicured finger of Chloé like an omen of death.

Marinette quickly ducked her head, not wanting to further herself as public enemy number one. She cursed herself for being so stupid – her naivety had led her down a path of glass shards, and she was dumb enough to wear no shoes.

"What about you, ladybug?" Chloé asked sweetly, the sugary candy-cane tone of voice making Marinette want to instantly throw herself out the nearest window.

"Ummm…I'm not sur-"

" _Great!_ " She sang, pointing Marinette in the direction of the bottle (which now seemed as attractive as an island full of saltwater crocodiles) and smiling sinister-ly.

"There's no hard feelings about what happened earlier, right?" Chloé asked with a pout. Marinette blinked. First of all, it was near impossible to take her seriously with her eye makeup so intensely caked on, it made Marinette's own nearly naked eyes want to break out into a rash. Secondly, Chloé practically made it seem like their argument had been won by herself, which was wrong in every way you looked at it.

"Um…right. No hard feelings." She repeated tonelessly.

"Excellent." Chloé seethed. "Now, the first game we're going to play is _Seven Minutes in Heaven_."

Oh god. Marinette's eyes practically popped out of her skull like yo-yo's.

She knew of the game – it was more of an urban legend than anything. Spend seven minutes locked in a closet with a random person – seven minutes, no consequences, and all suggestive innuendos implied.

Not a game she was comfortable playing with a roomful of nameless faces.

"I'd actually rather _not-_ "

Marinette sensed the uncomfortable atmosphere and knew that everyone else in the room had been roped in by Chloé just as she had been.

"Go ahead ladybug," Chloé encouraged, using the name mockingly and promptly ignoring her earlier protest.

There were a few unconscious beats of silence as Marinette struggled with her narrow options. Run? No…too embarrassing, and her legs were frozen. Scream for help? Who would even _hear_ her.

No. She'd just have to be brave.

She testily held her hand out to touch the bottle, and wasn't shocked that it was icy to her fingertips. All in one breath, she leaned out and pushed the bottle so it swung around, like a round of Russian roulette, would she win? Or lose tragically like the failure that she was.

She felt the urge to cover her eyes. This was the last thing she wanted. She desperately wished that Alya or one of her other friends would kick down the door and help her escape, but the bottle still spun, and the door stood silent.

Marinette drew herself backwards, wishing she could simply fade into the shadows and disappear forever. The bottle slowly drew to a stop as it pointed opposite to her, choosing her fate like it had been predestined long before.

"Well, well…" Chloé sang out, like this had been her plan the whole time. "What a _perfect_ match."

"Wait, what?" Marinette heard herself echo, only to be hauled to her feet by an unknown person from behind and pushed into the corner of the dark room.

"The girl who didn't know _when_ to shut up, and the boy that doesn't know _how_ to. A match made in heaven." Chloé summed up.

…And the last thing Marinette remembered thinking before she was roughly shoved into a closet, was the sound of his laughter as they both tumbled into the locked room where they would remain, under close quarters, for much, _much_ longer than seven minutes.

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 **ew gross introductory chap**

 **tbh ill probably delete this later i just want a little feedback on characterization/plot layout but otherwise if i decide to keepthis going itll probably stay like a three-four shot so yeaahh review pls**


	2. who are you?

It was dark – of course, as most closets were. She just wasn't expecting _this much darkness_.

Seeing as she had been brutally shoved into the closet itself, she was in a rather uncomfortable position, her leg was curved around a foreign object, and her arms were grabbing onto something for support. Also, there was something else touching her…her…

"Your hand is on my…um…" She choked out, feeling the presence of a stranger pressed up against you in a closet is certainly an uncomfortable one.

"Oh god!" He interjected, his hand rising off of her chest in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, that was…unintentional."

"Right." It was safe to say she didn't exactly trust him – he hadn't given her much to work with.

"Seriously. I can't see shit, I would never…uh…take advantage of the situation, like that." He awkwardly put. She sighed. He didn't _seem_ the type – he just seemed extremely socially unaware.

She reached out at what she assumed to be the doorknob and turned it a few times. Locked tight.

"Any luck?" He asked her hopefully. She shook her head, before realizing the pointlessness of doing so – it wasn't like he could actually see her.

"Uh – no. Looks like we're gonna be here for a bit." She said, before reaching her arms around to hug herself tightly. How had she even gotten into this mess? This was why she should've just stayed home, she couldn't handle parties. She couldn't even handle having a _crush,_ for goodness sake.

"So…" The boy began, and Marinette inwardly cringed at his pathetic attempt at small talk. This was going to be a lot longer than seven minutes. "…What's your favorite color?"

"What?" She asked aloud, looking up at where she assumed his face would be. There was a sound on crinkling fabric, probably a shrug.

"Got any better ideas?" He asked her. She hung her head. Small talk it is.

"Green." She said, only thinking of the shimmering emerald color of Adrien's eyes. God, she was a sap.

"Really?" He asked her, bewildered. "Interesting…"

"What's yours?" She asked without a beat of silence in between.

"Hm…either red, or orange. Sunset colors." He told her wistfully. She nodded in understanding, before remembering, _again,_ he couldn't see her.

"What's your name?" He asked her quickly. She inwardly cringed. She didn't want _anyone_ to find out that the quiet, innocent Marinette had wound herself up into the embarrassment of the costume party – Chloé would ever let her live it down.

"I'd…rather not give names." She deducted guiltily.

"Oh." He worded. "Um…you're dressed as a Ladybug, right? Can I just call you Ladybug?"

She blinked cautiously. She was talking to an awfully weird guy. But it was weird ina good way, she supposed.

"I don't see anything wrong with that," she started, "what are you dressed as?"

"A cat – a really cool black cat." He said, a hint of boastfulness playing into his voice. If she had to guess she'd say he put a lot of effort into his costume, and it was a shame she couldn't see it.

"Mm…then I guess I could call you…Cat?" She asked him. She heard his laugh – it was a nice laugh, kind of.

"That's a bit boring, I think you can do better than that." He teased her. She blushed, she'd never been able to talk to boys this casually before without making a mess of herself, maybe the darkness did benefit her. Or maybe it was just the costume.

"Alright then, tough guy. What about…Chat Noir?"

There was a beat of silence. Marinette began panicking – he probably hated the idea, he probably hated her and thought she was stupid! How could she let the stupid costume go to her head like that? She was _so-_

"I like it." he said finally. She had to restrain herself from sighing in relief.

"So… _Ladybug_ , what brings you to a party like this?" He asked her conversationally.

Suddenly comfortable with him, she breathed out and began speaking.

"Well, my friend invited me here. She dragged me along, and I really like designing costumes and stuff, so that was a plus. She really enjoys parties like these." She told him, all of a sudden unsure as to why she was openly telling this boy detail about her life without even knowing his first name.

And that's when it hit her – that was exactly _why_ she felt open. She didn't know this boy, there were no repercussions – she could tell him every detail of her life, just enough so that her name would never be revealed, and she'd never feel the backlash. It was the opportune situation to rant, and t let out all of her personal feelings.

Of course, dumping baggage on Chat like that would be rather rude. She'd have to restrain herself – to an extent, anyway.

"And you don't enjoy parties like these?" He pried gently.

"Well…" she began, smiling a little bit, because he seemed genuinely interested in her, and that had never happened before. "I'm just not really suited for them. I'm kind of shy, and…awkward, I guess."

He laughed. "I know what you mean, but you don't seem all that shy to me."

"Maybe you're just bad at reading people." She mocked him with a grin.

He scoffed, like he was pretending to be offended. "How _dare_ you? I am _excellent_ at reading people, I'll have you know!"

She laughed a bit – his sense of humor was fresh, almost over-the-top. She'd never met anyone quite like him before. He probably didn't go to her school, she would've recognized him and his exuberant voice anywhere.

"Well the, why don't you prove me wrong? Read me. What would you assume about me just from hearing my voice?" She asked him, genuinely intent on hearing what he had to say.

"Hmm…" he mused, his normally loud voice going quiet. She felt his body shift against hers, his knees were pressed against her thighs, but somehow, she wasn't that uncomfortable anymore. "I think, that _you_ are strong. But I think that you like to keep that strength sheltered – you only use it when you must. And also…I think you have a vendetta against Chloé, one that you maybe acted on tonight?" He asked her knowingly. She blushed.

"You…you saw that?" She asked him, mortified. He let out a low laugh and leaned in.

"I wish I had. I only _heard_ of it – the miraculous Ladybug, serving Chloé a taste of her own medicine." He was so close, she could feel his breath on her cheek. "Maybe you'll be so kind as to let me hear an encore?"

Marinette felt herself pull back a bit until the back of her head hit the wall gently. She'd have to add _flirt_ to the list of traits she'd been compiling for him.

"In your dreams," she shot back kindly. "You don't like Chloé either, I take it then?"

He sucked in a breath and sighed dramatically. "Chloé and I…we're _acquainted,_ and let me just tell you – that woman is _persistent_."

She laughed. "That's _one_ way to put it."

"I don't usually call girls naughty words, but…you get the picture." He told her.

"Such a gentleman." She remarked sarcastically.

"Only the best, for a princess such as yourself." He flirted shamelessly. Marinette felt the blood rush to her cheeks. She'd never had a boy be this forward with her – she'd never even _kissed_ a boy before, and she was _18 years old_. Curse her infernal shyness!

"Aren't you the flirt?" She inquired with nervous laughter. He returned it.

"I can't help myself, you're an intriguing woman." He admitted. "Tell me more about yourself, please."

"Uh…" she trailed off, still reeling from his compliment. "I…don't know?"

"Alright, let me ask you a few questions then, if that's ok with you?" He inquired softly. His demeanor had changed a bit, she could still sense the same teasing tone in his voice, but the tone had shifted. Intriguing.

"Um…ok." She breathed out. This was going to be interesting.

.

.

.

His brain scrambled for a question to ask – what did he want to know about her?

There was a simple answer, of course. _Everything_.

What was it about her that drew him so close? She was funny, intelligent, mysterious – he didn't even know what she looked like, and he was already bewitched by her. Great.

"How do you like your eggs?"

He pinched his arm. Hard. Idiot! What was he _thinking_ , a million other questions would've been better. But _eggs?_

She let a puff of air out of her mouth, making a _pfft_ sound. Cute.

"Scrambled, I guess. You?" She asked him back. His heart thumped loudly. She was interested in him, too. Could she be as enthralled in him as he was in her?

"Same. I like anything but sunny-side up. Can't stand that." He detailed.

"Is that so? You ask weird questions." She decided. He almost choked, why couldn't he just impress this girl? If he were Adrien Agreste, maybe _then_ she'd love him. But Adrien Agreste was just a name.

"Aha, I'll admit it, I'm a bit nervous." He confided. His leg shifted and he felt it softly collie with something else – her leg. His heart picked up pace when she didn't move away from him. Maybe she did like him, even if it was only a little bit.

"Why's that?" She asked him.

"Well…I find you…very interesting. And I don't want to mess this up." He blurted out. Shit. She really made him unwind without him even thinking about it.

"Trust me, there's not much to mess up. We're trapped in a closet, I think our meeting circumstances have already been ruined." She divulged.

"I…guess you're right." He coughed. "Anyways…what is your favorite…month?"

"Umm…" she made a sound of thought and he swallowed hard. That was really adorable. Why was this happening to him? Why _now_? He'd never felt this way about a girl before – at least, not this fast, this uncontrollable. He didn't even know her name.

"I really like…fall months. They just have this really cozy, family feel, and I love that." She exclaimed softly. He smile, he would probably feel the same way, if he had a family to spend the arduous months with.

The smile wiped off his face. That turned depressing, and fast.

"That's lovely," he told her, hoping that she was appreciating his constant compliments – because he _meant_ them, for once in his life.

Aside from that, it was time to move on to the more _pressing_ questions, the ones he _really_ wanted an answer to.

"Do you have a boyfriend?" he asked her softly. He heard her breath hitch, and he was momentarily frightened that he had overstepped his boundaries. "I'm sorry, you don't have to-"

"No, no. It's fine. I mean…I don't. I don't…I don't date a lot. And by a lot, I mean…never." She clarified, embarrassment creeping into her tone. His expression softened.

"There's nothing to be ashamed about. I don't date a lot either. My friends tease me about it sometimes, but I'm fine with it. I don't want to date someone unless I think something real can come out of it." He spilled, he could feel her physically relax at his answer. Good, the more comfortable she was with him, the better.

"That's…insightful. Thank you, that makes me feel a little bit better. But, the reason I don't date is because-" her voice broke for a moment, she was deliberating whether or not she should tell him something.

"Go on," he encouraged her lightly. "You can tell me, I won't tell anyone. Chat's honor."

She laughed slightly, before sighing. "Sorry, I feel bad for just dumping all this information about me on you, I mean, you don't even know me…"

"That's alright," he countered quickly, "I like learning about you. You're interesting, and funny, and kind-" he cut himself off before he could sound any more like a lovestruck schoolboy.

"Aha." She laughed nervously. "It's just…there's this boy…"

His heart dropped to his feet. No, no, _no_.

"I've known him for a while now…"

 _No, no, no, no-_

"And I just…I don't know. I've liked him for so long now…"

 _No, no, no, nonononono!_

"And?" He begged for her to continue, what a masochist he was, she was practically sinking knives into his chest and yet he asked her to go on, simply because he enjoyed hearingher voice.

"Well…he doesn't even know I exist."

Her sad conclusion made his head snap up. "What?"

"I just get nervous around him. I'm pathetic, really." She sadly admitted. He begged to differ, he wanted to tell her how _amazing_ she was – and how he'd only known her for perhaps fifteen or twenty minutes, but he could already tell that this boy was _insane_ for not noticing how spectacular she was.

"You're not." He choked out. "He doesn't deserve you."

"Haha. If only." She commented flatly. "I think we've been in here for a lot longer than seven minutes…"

His mouth went dry. She really didn't believe she was good enough for this boy.

How ironic was it that after having hundreds of girls fall for him over a few photos, after denying each and every one of them for the sole reason they fell, he falls for a girl with her sights set on someone else.

A cool, bitterness crept into his throat. Jealousy. He wanted to meet the person who had claimed her affections and _dared_ to ignore her. It just wasn't _fair_.

"Maybe. I don't mind." He told her honestly.

"You really are a flirty guy, aren't you?" she nervously claimed. He let out a soft chuckle.

"Forgive me, if you're uncomfortable, I'll stop. But I'm only like this with girls who genuinely interest me." He dared. She paused, probably unsure of what to do with his forwardness. He scorned himself for being such an _idiot –_ why couldn't he just be normal around her?

"I interest you?" She asked him. He was keen enough to notice that she didn't ask him to stop. That was a good sign.

"Of course. Any girl who stands up to Chloé demands my attention. And now that I've met you, even under such dire circumstances…" he failed to find a proper way to conclude his sentence. He wished he could see her now – to see the expressions she made, to see her eyes, her smile. He was sure that she was beautiful – just by her personality, he knew that he'd find her beautiful no matter what she looked like.

God. If Nino heard him now, he'd never let him hear the end of it.

"I-I suppose standing up to Chloé is pretty interesting…" she joked. She was avoiding the topic of his affections. He didn't blame her, she was still a bit shy around him. He'd love it if she wasn't, he wanted to know every detail about her.

"Of course. Can I ask you something else?" He pried. She swallowed lightly and laughed.

"I guess so, if we're going to be in here any longer." He heard her shift uncomfortably. His legs were getting tired too, but he decided he'd rather focus on her answers and words than focus on his own discomfort.

"Right. So…what do you want to be when you grow up?" He asked her. Cliché question, he realized shortly after, but he was curious. Maybe it was possible they'd attend the same schools.

"Fashion design." She answered quickly. He raised an eyebrow. She was an artsy type?

"I'd love to see your designs sometime." He told her earnestly. "I know some people in the business, as well. I can imagine you must be very talented."

"Uhhh…" she drawled. "Th-thank you. That means a lot to me, and…you actually do know people? I've been trying to get in forever…"

Excited, he leaned forward and nodded. "Seriously. My…uh…relatives actually work very closely in the industry. Even I'm involved in some aspects." He divulged, without letting his identity slip loose, although he would have no problem telling her who he was, now that she'd expressed interest in his field. In fact, with that bit of information, I was likely that she knew who he was.

"Oh my gosh, that's amazing! What's it like?" She begged him, he could hear her voice more clearly now, she must've leaned forward as well. He smiled, it was refreshing to hear her this excited about something. He loved the way her voice sounded when she was clearly smiling.

"Well…it can be intense at times. But at the end of everything, when you see that kinds of things designers can come up with – it's amazing." He detailed. She sounded breathless – happy. Her happiness was infectious.

"I don't know if I could ever be that good with my designs, but I've entered a bunch into submissions for schools. I'm hoping to get accepted to one of them soon." She bubbled.

"I'm sure you'll get in – if you're this dedicated, they'd be stupid not to accept you." He hypothesized. She laughed – a nice, bell-sounding giggle. He didn't know why, exactly, but it made his cheeks heat up. Knowing that he was the cause of that laugh gave him encouragement to make that laugh happen, again, and again, and _again_.

"Thank you, I can only hope, at this point. What about you? What do you want to do with yourself?" She wondered. His heart surged.

"Well, uh, I'm going to school for…photography." He conveniently left out the part that _he_ was the one who was being photographed. "Mainly in the fashion industry."

"Seriously? That's incredible!" She gushed.

"You think so?" He asked her, there was something about the way she talked that made him feel empowered – he could take on the whole world with her words of kindness behind him.

"Of course." She told him, her hand touched his arm and a jolt of electricity ran through him.

He had to say something. He had to tell her. He had to make sure she _knew_ -

"Listen, Ladybug…" he began, a sense of dire importance overcoming him as he began to hear voices outside the door. "There's something I have to tell yo-"

And without warning, the closet door swung open to reveal the absence of light from the party.

.

.

.

Marinette's eyes immediately focused on the light. The _light_ – it hit her immediately and her pupils shrunk in concentration. It seemed like it had been _years_ since she'd seen it.

"Ew. You two are still here?" Chloé asked, and Marinette's mood soured up. She had actually been enjoying her conversation with Chat Noir…

She swallowed quicjly, realizing that Chat could now see what she looked like. Feeling insecurity wash over her like a tidal wave, she pushed past Chloé without thinking and made a dash for the main party room, where shed be able to hide among other partygoers.

"Hey, wait!" She heard him protest. She ignored him. He wouldn't like her if he saw who she truly was.

Thousands of pins pricked at her eyes. She really was stupid – how could she let herself get absorbed in the conversation? In _him_? He didn't like her, he was just flirty. Besides, she liked _Adrien_ , even if he'd never notice her.

Maybe it was for the better. She didn't his attention, she barely deserved her own best friend.

Speaking of Alya…

She whirled around in search of the little alien antenna belonging to her friend. She couldn't have wandered too far, right?

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir's voice rung out within the crowd. Panicking, Marinette ducked behind a couple in a vigorous make out session, hoping he wouldn't be able to see her.

She hadn't even gotten that good of a look at him. She didn't even know his hair color, but she was convinced that she would recognize his soft, assuring voice anywhere.

"Marinette? Hey, girl, what's wrong? You look like you're about to hurl-"

"Alya!" Marinette glomped her best friend enthusiastically. "Can we go, please! It's really important!"

"What? You just disappeared for like, ever, what were you doing?" Alya inquired.

"I'll explain on the way home, please, can we just-"

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir's heartbroken voice sent a shockwave of guilt through her.

" _Please_ ," Marinette begged once more.

Alya's eyes glanced back and forth, slowly connecting the dots.

"Ok…I'll trust you, just this once. But you owe me one _big_ explanation!" Alya clarified, grabbing Marinette's hand and making a b-line for the exit. Alya was extremely effective in the art of getting people to move out of the way.

"Thank you!" Marinette praised, before sending one last, sparing look into the crowd. She caught a glimpse of messy blond hair and dark cat ears and felt her heart murmur in disagreement with her decision. Maybe she was making the wrong choice.

Her fear trumped her heart, however. She was afraid to confront him, she was afraid to let him know what resided under her mask.

It was better that neither one of them met each other, ever again.

Alya pulled her out of the party until they were out on the street, alone. She had made her decision. She only hoped that Chat would be able to find it in his heart to forgive her.

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 **halfway through! thanks so much for reviewing/favoriting/following! please let me know what you thought, and feel free to pm me, im nice!**


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